Books Archives - Page 8 of 13

Late Christmas Book Haul: Part 2

Hey guys

I am back with the second part of my Christmas book haul. If you did not read the last one, it was full of gifts my grandparents and mom bought for me. Go check it out!

These are the books I bought myself with the money people gave me to buy books.

Except this one:

The Short Second Life of Bree Taylor by Stephanie Meyer

“BREE TANNER CAN BARELY REMEMBER LIFE before she had uncannily powerful senses, superhuman reflexes, and unstoppable physical strength. Life before she had a relentless thirst for blood… life before she became a vampire.” -Goodreads

This was a late present from my grandparents. Now for the stuff I bought:

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

“Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black…”-Goodreads

And I Darken by Kiersten White

“No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets…”-Goodreads

Now I Rise by Kiersten White

“Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her…” -Goodreads

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith

“Private Detective Cormoran Strike is visiting his family in Cornwall when he is approached by a woman asking for help finding her mother, Margot Bamborough — who went missing in mysterious circumstances in 1974.”-Goodreads

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?” -Goodreads

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

“Growing up, Mallory Dodge learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime. Now, after years of homeschooling, Mallory must face a new milestone…” -Goodreads

Those are all the books I got this Christmas! I am so excited for them all. My TBR shelf now has no room so I really need to finish all these books so I can add more. My mom will be so mad I want to buy more but it is okay.

As always, thanks for reading!

A Bookie

WWW: Some Random Reads 1/20/2021

Hi guys!

Guess what? It is WWW Wednesday. This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words. And it involves answering the 3 Ws!

•What are you currently reading?

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

“Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the shining city of Antica to forge an alliance with the Khagan of the Southern Continent, whose vast armies are Erilea’s last hope. But they have also come to Antica for another purpose: to seek healing at the famed Torre Cesme for the wounds Chaol received in Rifthold…”-Goodreads

Lucy by Jamacia Kincaid (for school)

“Lucy, a teenage girl from the West Indies, comes to North America to work as an au pair for Lewis and Mariah and their four children. Lewis and Mariah are a thrice-blessed couple–handsome, rich, and seemingly happy. Yet, almost at once, Lucy begins to notice cracks in their beautiful facade. With mingled anger and compassion, Lucy scrutinizes the assumptions and verities of her employers’ world and compares them with the vivid realities of her native place. Lucy has no illusions about her own past, but neither is she prepared to be deceived about where she presently is…”-Goodreads

•What did you recently finish reading?

Empire of Storm by Sarah J. Maas

“Kingdoms will collide.

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don’t…” -Goodreads

What if it’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

“Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.

Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things…”-Goodreads

•What do you think you’ll read next?

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

“Aelin Galathynius has vowed to save her people ― but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. The knowledge that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, but her resolve is unraveling with each passing day…” -Goodreads

Anyways, hope you guys are having a good week. I am trying to get my review for What if its Us out as soon as possible. It has been a busy week but I get to go home for a quick visit.

As always, thanks for reading!

A Bookie

Book Review: The Escapist

Author: David Puretz

Publisher: Global City Press

Publishing Date: Jan 21, 2020

Genre: Literary Fiction

“It’s 2011 in America, the Iraq War is coming to a close, and the Occupy Wall Street movement has been gaining steam. And at twenty-one years of age, Billy Chute is sitting in the breakdown lane on the side of the highway in his ’98 Altima with his drugs in the cooler on the passenger seat floor, in the midst of escaping yet another stale reality. Still high on an opioid and amphetamine kick, his new escape crystallizes in a journal entry: Find dad. And those few simple words seal Billy’s fate- what started as another of his impulsive flights becomes a mission, and it terrifies him, for his father is like wildfire, burning all in its path, yet confronting his traumatic past may be Billy’s only sustainable way forward.

A propulsive story with profound insights about freedom and imprisonment, motion and stasis, chance and destiny, The Escapist delves deeply into the internal and external calamities that shape this special human life and mind. Mental health, family conflict and abuse, drug addiction, and sexuality are intricately woven together in a turbulent pre-Trump America in this dynamic and layered narrative of violence and hope.” -Publisher

Review:

I recieved this book off of NetGalley and shall be giving it an honest review.

Now when I say, I do not know how to feel about this book, I mean I REALLY do not know how to feel about this book.

The thing about this book is that it was not the most well-put-together book, but I honestly could not put it down. I devoured this book.

I am honestly disappointed that I finished the book. Or I am disappointed in how it ended, I am honestly not sure.

I could not stop reading it. There were such vivid, eye-opening details in the book. Every single thing about drug use and the violence was described so deep and hauntingly, it entranced me. I was so pulled in by the description of his drug use, family issues, etc., that I almost could completely ignore the huge plot disappointments.

The plot was absolutely wack. It was like a Catcher in the Rye, but completely high on drugs. It was super chaotic which I thought paired nicely with the book until the end. The ending left me in a huge ball of confusion. I understood everything but there was a certain part with Billy’s sidekick that I felt completely unnecessary. I liked the book until they began bringing back certain people. It was utter chaos. And I like chaos in some aspects. This was not one of them.

Billy was a great character except he had the voice of a 35-year-old heroin addict when he was about 20 years old popping pills daily. Sometimes when people mentioned that he was “too young” it took me by surprise. I feel as though for him to have been a better character, he needed that extra feel of being young and stupid. But, all I got from him was being old and f*cked (pardon my French).

All the negative stuff aside, I did enjoy this book. Yes, it did have its downs but, I will have to say that once I picked it up, I could not set it down. I think the book would have been a lot better with a different ending and a whole chunk of it taken out, but what can I do?

Anyways, thank you for reading. I appreciate it. I hope you guys all check out this book when it comes out in January!

Star Rating: 3.6

New Year, New Blog

Hey there fellow bloggers!

It has been a LONG time since I have done an update blog.

But I just want to help ring in the new year with you all. I had a bland year on this blog in 2018. I had taken this time to study, work, and be social. I hardly read a thing. I have books that I am still reading from 2017 on my nightstand. All in all it just wasn’t the best year for me literature wise.

I believe I pulled through in the end by reading quite a few books but only because they were required from school. But I did finish a book that was not an assignment. I read to All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han and let me just say, it was amazing. I think it was one of the only books I actually read this year.

But now for the serious stuff. I am going to be on this blog more. I know I said that last year after the break I took a year ago, then flung myself into another huge long break, but this time I am here. I am all in. I am ready. I am going to become the Rory Gilmore of reading and read everything in sight. I have also decided that I need this blog to not be a chore. I want to make the blog more appealing and it cannot be appealing if I am writing things I do not want to write. So, I am not going to write a review on every book I read anymore. While this is a book blog and normally people review the books they read, I am sure the review about Sense and Sensibility or To Kill a Mockingbird is not needed. I am sure more entertaining novels such as new releases and book tags while be better hits. And while I started this blog not to become popular, I do not want it to be boring to myself. I remember how motivated I was to write reviews about the hottest release and to participate in the weekly book memes. But I began to focus to much on the book reviews for books that weren’t needed like my A Seperate Peace review that I got rather bored. They were just books for school that I am sure almost EVERYONE has read because they had to. So what was the point?

But, I wrote them and I hated them. I hated forcing myself to write terrible posts and to try and discuss a book I hardly remembered. I remembered the feeling I had when I finished Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas at 11 o’clock at night and rushed to my computer to write out all of my feelings about the book. I wanted to feel that rush again but I couldn’t find it when I was struggling to finish the other posts first. So now I am here to say that is over. I am going to start a new system where instead of making a review, I will simply add the name of the book into my Review ToC and add a star count to the end. That will be all and that will make me happy.

I also changed the theme of my page but of course that is subject to change all the time. I love messing around with new themes and new colors all the time, but this time I really like this one. I think I will keep it for awhile just until I get sick of it.

Anyways, let us talk about something not blog related, my life. Quick overview of my life so far. I am nearing the end of my last year of high school. Senior year has been extremely fun and rewarding. I am awaiting news from my dream university and I will update you guys on that when it comes. I also have been obsessing about the college, looking up dorms, fee schedules, etc. I also have a new puppy in the house. She is very cute but not quite potty trained so that is kind of gross. But, that is my families duties.

I have big plans and big changes coming this year. It will be exciting!

I am excited for this New Year. It comes with many new adventures and lots of hard work. I am ready for everything that is going to come my way.

Happy New Year everyone!

To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before

Author: Jenny Han

Series: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #1

Published Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 355

“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.” -Goodreads

Review:

Dear Peter,

Hi you do not know me but I love you. I have now read the book and seen the movie and I am your soulmate. Will you marry me?

-Kat

Okay, that was my letter. Short but to the point, right?

Alrighty then craziness aside, how freaking adorable was this story. I mean first lets start with the look of the book. Cute and appealing. Great model for the front. (Yes I judge books by their cover very throughly)

Then Lara Jean was such a role model. I need to start dressing, acting, and eating like her. I really wanna try those Korean smoothies she is always talking about so if anyone knows where to get them, slide that info! Lara is such a clever character and I love the diversity of the book. I love the way her culture is brought out into the book and is expressed in the movie (also this review will be about both he review and the movie) which made me happy. She is the perfect person. I just wish she had been less stubborn because so much less drama would have happened, and oh wait, I love drama so why would I care? Haha, I don’t. I do thought think she should have been less stubborn because my poor Peter bear wanted her so desperately but she was so in her head that she just did not get it.

Now onto Peter. He is likes the world’s favorite idiot. Like he really did not handle everything perfectly but his hair was gorgeous while doing it. He should have let Get go the minute she dumped him and realized who his true love was, (ME) Lara Jean! But instead he creates a fake relationship so he can have basically both the girls. But alas that is such a dumb jock move. It is a good thing he was a dream boat or I would not have understood why Lara Jean put up with that from him.

I think Kitty is my spirit animal. She was so spritely and I loved her sass. She did a bad thing by sending out those private letter but in the end it all worked out just fine.

I did not really like Margot at all. She just kind of seemed so matter-of-fact and followed her mother’s rules way too seriously. Now, Josh and her were never meant to be and that is clear to see y his confusion on his feelings with Lara Jean but she shouldn’t have just dumped him. What Lara Jean finds out about them later in the novel does not constitute a reason for her to break up with him. Even though her mother did ask her not to go to college with a boyfriend. It just seems cruel to have broken Josh’s heart, then be able to escape to Scotland while he is stuck living next to Margot’s family.

The plot of the story was cute. There was not any huge action except for the big fallout near the end. Basically, the story just consisted of Peter and Lara Jean fighting then making up. Fighting then making up. Over and over again in this “fake” relationship. And Lara Jean being very stupid about many things.

But I loved the ridiculousness of this book and it went really well. I loved the movie to. I loved the cinematography. I thought both were really good. I cannot wait to read the next one!

Thanks for reading!

-Kat

P.S I hope you guys liked my A1 gif usage. I wanted to include some very nice moments of Peter and Lara Jean.

Star Rating: 4.7

The Vagina Monologues

Author: Eve Ensler, Gloria Steinem (Foreword)

Published May 3rd 2001 by Virago Press Ltd.

Genre: Feminism, Nonfiction, Drama

Pages: 185

“I decided to talk to women about their vaginas, to do vagina interviews, which became vagina monologues…At first women were reluctant to talk. They were a little shy. But once they got going, you couldn’t stop them. Women secretly love to talk about their vaginas. They get very excited, mainly because no one’s ever asked them before.” -Goodreads

Review:

A book of feminism and glory.

I loved the vagina talk. It was very empowering and the friend I read it with agreed with me.

It is an important book. It is important to hear these women’s stories and to understand the depths of the women’s body.

I wish I could go see this performed. It would be quite entertaining to see.

I am reading this growing up in a non-“down there” era but still with some struggles with people embracing the word and I think this book does well to try and make vagina not seem like such a “nasty”word.

I thought the stories were really nice and sort of inspiring. They mostly discussed how they viewed their vaginas and others and showed people journey through vagina discovery.

This blog is really short and I am sorry about that but I do not have much to say. The book is short which means a short blog. Especially one where I believe everyone should read it and see the amazing stories. I don’t want to give away anything to much. I want people to experience the book for themselves.

Anyways, thank you for reading. Let me know down below if you have read it an your opinions on it.

Star Rating: 4.5

An Apology and a Welcome Back

Hi fellow bloggers,

So it has been a while.

Like a long while.

And I apologize for that. I have been busy with school. I didn’t have time. But now I am going to try and actually do it this time.

I left because I had too much to do. I was running my blog by trying to lost every weekday and it worked out for a while but then I started to be unable to get ideas. The posts were exactly the same as other posts. I just was doing too much in this. So I’m back with less but better posts.

I have been working for the past month to get ready to do this blog again. I have been writing reviews for the books I read during my break. So you are gonna get those as my next couple of posts. But they aren’t great cause I’m still trying to get back in the game and I read them a couple of months ago so my reaction isn’t as great. But nonetheless I have finished them and they are coming.

I also now have started a book club with my friend Maggie. It’s just me and her but then I will have a deadline to actually be reading a book. I am excited to read with her. I think I’m gonna post at the beginning of the month what book we are going to read so you guys can read along. And then I will publish my review and maybe even a separate blog lost just for the book club discussion. I don’t know yet but I will figure it out.

I also want to do some tags and get more into this community so I want some people to follow and some tags to do so comment down below people and tags that I should follow and attempt.

Anyways, thank you to those who stayed. Hi new followers. And I apologize for my sudden disappearance. And welcome back to my blog. It is going to be bigger and better than ever.

Tell me down below how you all have been. I have been doing really well. I have one more year of school left. I just got a job. I don’t know anything else major in my life to update you guys about.

Welcome back bookies!

-A Bookie

The Thousandth Floor

Author: Katherine McGee

Series: The Thousandth Floor

Published August 30th 2016 by HarperCollins

Genres: YA, Sci-Fi

Pages: 448

“NEW YORK CITY AS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE.

A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future where anything is possible—if you want it enough.

WELCOME TO MANHATTAN, 2118.

A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. Everyone there wants something…and everyone has something to lose.

LEDA COLE’s flawless exterior belies a secret addiction—to a drug she never should have tried and a boy she never should have touched.

ERIS DODD-RADSON’s beautiful, carefree life falls to pieces when a heartbreaking betrayal tears her family apart.

RYLIN MYERS’s job on one of the highest floors sweeps her into a world—and a romance—she never imagined…but will this new life cost Rylin her old one?

WATT BAKRADI is a tech genius with a secret: he knows everything about everyone. But when he’s hired to spy for an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught up in a complicated web of lies.

And living above everyone else on the thousandth floor is AVERY FULLER, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all—yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have.

Amid breathtaking advancement and high-tech luxury, five teenagers struggle to find their place at the top of the world. But when you’re this high up, there’s nowhere to go but down….” -Goodreads

My Review:

“Sometimes love and chaos are the same thing.”

Chick-lits are my not-so-guilty-guilty pleasure. I am obsessed with them. I don’t understand how some people don’t like them. I get that they are cheesy and stuff but like this one a lot of them have some twist or suspense that keeps you thrilled the entire way through. These stories and any book with any sort of romance I love. I am a hopeless romantic. I love to swoon. I love to see a chase between the guy and the girl, forbidden loves (like this book), I love to see love triangles, etc.

This book has left my jaw on the floor. Until you read this book you will not understand how amazing it is. I can do it no justice.

Side note: I realize my beginnings to my blogs are always very similar because I never know how to start these so they end up sounding exactly the same.

So to get into this blog, my first major talking point is about the stories exhilarating plot. It starts of super mysterious with its prologue. In the beginning an unnamed girl is falling from the thousandth floor of the building. This creates so much suspense going into the story because you are captivated and the questions who and why ringing through you during the book. The entire book I made guesses as to who and why and let me just say it is completely unexpected. I like these beginnings because it always foreshadows the ending. The rest of the book starts off fairly normal. The characters are just about to go back to school, one is coming back from rehab, another is struggling with he fact that she loves her brother, you know, normal teenager lives.

If you like Gossip Girl you are really gonna like this book. About a month before I read this book I had finally finished Gossip Girl and as I always feel after finishing a TV series or a book or anything I felt sad and had a lull in my reading and Netflix watching activity. So when I started to read this I got very excited about how similar it was. I was overjoyed. I am all about those cheesy chick-lit novels that is full of glamour and everyone secretly hates everyone even if they don’t know it.

Anyways I really loved the way this story went. I really thought the Sci-Fi element of it where people basically just live in this one tower in New York was a very interesting twist to the normal teenage socialite story. The world that McGee built is exciting and I cannot wait to read the next book, Dazzling Heights, and to dive into the world again. The technology this world has is extremely satisfying. The author does well to show you what things look like and how they are used. I have read some books where the technology just has some holes in its function.

The characters were all very basic in these types of stories but they had some nice spins to them. You had Avery who was genetically modified to be perfect and lived with her family on the thousandth floor. Leda was another rich socialite who was addicted to drugs. Eris’s mother cheated on her father and lied about it for eighteen years until her unbiological father found out with a genetic test. Rylin the low life girl who gets a job working for a guy she knew a long time ago near the top floor introducing her to the glam life. And then there is Wyatt who has an illegal gadget in his brain so he knows everyone and everything. The five different perspectives we get in the book help you dive more into the world and learn about their world more efficiently. With people from the lower floors and the higher floors you get a deeper understanding of how this world works. It explores class division and privilege and how different each floor is. Also their is a good deal of diversity which I love to see in books.

I am excited for the sequel. I am ready for a sequel but I feel that the sequel is not needed. I have already pre-ordered the sequel and got an email yesterday that it was coming so I am excited.

Well I hope you enjoyed this blog. Please like and comment if you have read it. I you haven’t tell me if you are going to.

Star Rating: 4.7

October Preview

Well guess who isn’t prepared for this month…

This girl!

So I have really nothing planned for this month. This whole already having posts ready to go, really doesn’t help me when it comes to writing these because I just don’t remember to write more. Basically, I have nothing planned for the month.

I have a few reviews coming out from more books I still have to review from my hiatus.

I want to write some discussion posts but I have no clue what to write about so if anyone has any suggestions please comment below.

I did not finish my TBR for last month so that is being continued up into this month.

Basically this month is going to be a crap show and ya’ll are gonna have to sit through it and deal with it. Posts probably wont come every day but I will try…Any posts I do write will most likely be like this one, rushed, short, and done the night before.

But hey it is October and you know what that means:

HALLOWEEN!!

and

RIVERDALE

and

STRANGER THINGS 2

and

CANDY

and

OTHER OCTOBER THINGS

What I can say is that I shall be giving reviews on Riverdale and Stranger Things. I may give post about my Halloween plans or parties that may happen. I don’t know if that would end up in this month though. I can tell you I shall be doing some fall favorites. I can tell you this because that will be my post for tomorrow because it is simple and easy.

Anyways this is all I can give you for this preview. I know this post sucks, do not judge me. I am doing the best I can with the schedule I have.

Thank you for reading and see you next post!

TOP TEN TUESDAY-September 19th

“Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish…Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer.” –Top Ten Tuesday

Topic: Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List

So I am not gonna be doing ten because I dont know what I want to read just yet so here is my list of five books I want to read:

The Diabolic by S.J Kincaid

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

I don’t really know if I will read all of them by the end of fall this year. I want to read them. They all are sitting on my shelf waiting for a very long time. I want to read them so bad and I have been trying but I also have all these other books. Anyways I will find away to do it.

Anyways thank you for reading! Comment below about what your favorite book is out of this list.